I'll join the (rough) crowd; I don't think it's anyone's fault that you had the tire problem. And I just got through replacing a windscreen on a car with less than two thousand miles on it...you just never know, I guess. I think that, in a perfect world, Toyota would have written back, but really that's kind of a lot to ask. Actually, I have a different view of the Goodyear Integrity tires. The last car I drove went through a $1,200 set of rear tires in approximately 8,000 miles; the rubber on my Prius seems almost disposable in comparison!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CMonster @ Oct 18 2006, 11:38 AM) [snapback]334469[/snapback]</div> Yeah, I thought that was the case.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(calprius @ Oct 18 2006, 01:43 AM) [snapback]334313[/snapback]</div> Toyota is literally famous for bad (amazingly lousy?) customer service. Their only saving grace is the car, and you even have to watch the reliability reports for some models now.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Display Name @ Oct 18 2006, 03:26 PM) [snapback]334653[/snapback]</div> My experience with Toyota is otherwise. Look at the OP's complains, glass coating issue, flat tire issue, and rock-hitting-windshield issue. None of them are related to Toyota except the complain about dealer. I complained to Toyota corp. about a dealer in NJ. I got a call from the dealer's customer relations manager the next day to apologize.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(xbdude @ Oct 18 2006, 09:59 AM) [snapback]334538[/snapback]</div> Would you like some cheese with your whine? B)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CMonster @ Oct 18 2006, 10:38 AM) [snapback]334469[/snapback]</div> In that case what's the bin for? What else do PriusChatters keep in it other than glasses?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Oct 18 2006, 12:38 PM) [snapback]334664[/snapback]</div> Altoids tin.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Oct 18 2006, 03:38 PM) [snapback]334664[/snapback]</div> Batteries, in case I run out of gas. :lol:
My response from Toyota has been very good. I did not, however, complain about getting a nail in my tire or being struck by a stone driving down the freeway. In over 10 years of Toyota ownership, I've made one call to their Customer Service number... and that was to verify the "in service" date of my Prius. They responded within 24 hours. Insofar as 'quality,' Our 10-year-old Camry is still in excellent condition with ~108,000 miles on the clock and no major repairs. Our 2-year-old Prius has just run like a well-oiled clock without significant problems. Not just that, but my Dealer's Service Department is very good, will use the Mobil-1 5W30 oil I take in (to avoid over-filling), inflate my Prius tires to 40/38 at my request, and has good coffee to boot. So... What's to complain about??
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Oct 18 2006, 02:58 PM) [snapback]334677[/snapback]</div> Now now, lets not go name calling... While the OP only has two posts, his first was back in March (detailing the flat tire problem, actually) - not exactly the activity of a troll. rather, i'd say he's gotten frustrated, and even if we don't necissarily agree with his conclusions, it doesn't mean he's a troll...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Oct 18 2006, 01:04 PM) [snapback]334684[/snapback]</div> Point taken.
I for one am *not* impressed with the quality of Zeiss coatings.. I had a pair of eyeglasses that I bought based on the Zeiss reputation with that coating and in my experience, it's the world's most fragile coating-it seems to get scratched and worn no matter how careful you are; the Zeiss glass is none too tough either- the Zeiss lenses were the first and only pair of glasses where I had physical scratches in the lenses (and not just one either, but *many* that were somehow acquired over the few years that I wore these glasses, despite using only the provided Zeiss-labeled microfiber and lens solution). Having worn glasses most of my life, I feel that the Essilor coatings were the best in terms of performance as well as durability. Since they were acquired by Nikon a number of years back, for my latest pair of glasses I specifically went shopping for the Nikon glass with the Essilor coatings which I couldn't be happier with.. As for emailing corporate for things like a flat tire or chipped windshield- these seem really trivial to me, and more likely the result of plain bad luck than quality problems with Toyota..
I'm with you calprius. There has been 5 days in a row of cloudy weather. I think I will call Toyota to complain about it. Right on!! NOT How the heck do you justify complaining about a tire going flat? That could of happened at mile 1 or 2. You knew what type of tires you purchased didn't you? Sheesh. Same goes for the chip on the window. That is why people have insurance. You do have insurance calprius, right? Sorry for being harsh but this one you deserve. Please use some common sense.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Oct 18 2006, 03:38 PM) [snapback]334664[/snapback]</div> I keep my blue tooth cell phone there.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aviator @ Oct 18 2006, 04:19 PM) [snapback]334731[/snapback]</div> Be careful!! It could be tough on the blue tooth enamel!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(narussian @ Oct 18 2006, 05:26 PM) [snapback]334734[/snapback]</div> :lol: :lol: :lol: Might lead to blue tooth decay! (Would they still be blue?)
wow, he didn't return.. not bad for a second post :| I've had my sunglasses there even in 31°C weather and it never cracked. Yes, it was warm (and probably bad for the glasses) but no cracks or melted bits. I do agree about Toyota Customer Service. The dealers don't seem to have very good service in general. Yes, it's a generalization but when I go over to Club Lexus and see all the praises for the little things that people got from their dealers, I'm starting to wonder if they're even the same company lol.
Hi All, Thanks for all the rapid responses. My point in making the post was to try to help somebody else avoid destroying their glasses, not to whine. That's the same reason I told Toyota about it, so that the next time it was redesigned they might have a chance to consider it. Brandon and somebody else, thanks for the heat tip. Cmonster, you're right, the manual says not to put glasses in that bin. Unfortunately, I did it before I had gotten to that point in the manual, in my reading. (yes, I'm one of those people who actually reads them cover to cover when I first get a car.) C4, thanks for the tip about Essilor AR coatings, guess I was just lucky with my first pair of Zeiss. Deh2k, yes I put them up there without a case, just as I had been doing for a year without a scratch from my last car, and just as I have done with every other car I have driven which had an overhead bin, be it mine or somebody else's, and often in much hotter weather. I asked a group of 17 people this morning whether they had ever had this happen. 14 of them regularly wear glasses. 5 had had it happen to themselves or friends. In their experience it had only happened with Toyotas or Hondas. Somebody said they thought I was frustrated when I posted. Yes. And yes, I shouldn't have thrown in a few of my other frustrations with the car. Okay so I apologize. I still think that this car is cheaply made. I knew it was when I bought it, but I didn't understand how cheap. Stince I drive that road several times a month and have for decades with several other cars without incident I wondered whether the windshield might be made differently than other windshields and hence more vulnerable. My previous car also had a very raked windshield. I know the size of the pebble because I saw it coming. I didn't get out of the way because I couldn't do so without endangering other vehicles as well as myself. My e-mail to Toyota regarding the tire had more to do with the dealer and other interaction with that dealer than with the tire. Certainly I'm not the only one on these boards who is underwhelmed with the OEM tires. By the way, neither the Toyota road service guy who changed the tire, nor the dealer guy, nor the independent tire guy from whom I wound up buying the replacement tire from found a nail, a nail hole,suspect tread pattern, or any other reason for the original flat. Please respect my opinion of my car. I think it borders on cheesy in many aspects. I'm glad that all of you have a better opinion of your cars. I think the service of two of the three dealers I've been to is even worse than Chryler and VW dealers who were previously at the bottom of my dealer service department list. The third is Wondries Toyota in Alhambra, California and my only visit to them so far was an excellent experience. Sorry for such a long post, any and all future posts won't be more than 2-3 sentences. best regards, Calprius p.s. Can we cut this thread off? It seems to me we've run it into the ground . In less of course it's considering whining to suggest closing the thread.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(derk @ Oct 18 2006, 12:12 PM) [snapback]334551[/snapback]</div> No kidding! Let's all pile on! I'll wade waist deep into the pile and say, "nope, never a problem for me. I still keep them in their "sack" to be safe." Nothing like a good public stoning.